I was born in Stow, Ohio (just north of Akron); raised in Cleveland Heights Ohio. I married my loving wife, Bonnie, in 1972. We have two daughters, Amber and Heather, who are both grown and married. Our primary companions these days are a Chinese shar pei dog, Jazzbeau, and an English springer spaniel, Apollo. I earned a bacheor's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1962. I served five years in the U.S. Navy. Then I was an electrical engineer in the aerospace industry until 2004. I taught maritime history part time at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA, until 2013, and I am now retired.